Monthly Archives: October 2013

Thursday October 24th, 2013 – [Kaleme] In an interview with Kaleme, opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi’s youngest daughter Narges Mousvai describes the details of the brutal and violent encounter with a female security officer who attacked them following their latest 2 1/2 hour visit with their parents on the occasion of Eyde Ghadir. The full content of Kaleme’s interview with Narges Mousavi is as follows:

Can you please describe the events that occurred today? They called us yesterday and informed us that we would be allowed to have lunch with our parents on the occasion of Eyde Ghadir. We were of course overjoyed by the news. We were told that we would be allowed to visit for 2 1/2 hours, from 11:30am to 2:00pm. As has been customary with our visits to date, two female security agents were present during our entire visit. When it was time to leave, they asked us to enter the building next door in order to be searched.

Was the behavior by the security agents different than other occasions? Yes, from the start the physical search seemed more aggressive than usual. It almost felt as though they were seeking to provoke. Perhaps they were looking for an excuse. Who knows. We had been allowed to meet with father a few times after his angioplasty last year, but never had we been search physically in the past. Why in the world is there a need for a bodily search when the security agents had been present all along? Particularly one conducted in such a horrendous manner? Where in the world is such behavior considered acceptable?

Had such an event occurred in the past? No we were very surprised by their request to search us at the building belonging to the Ministry of Intelligence, particularly as they had already searched us upon entering our parents’ home. We nevertheless complied thinking perhaps they were fearful that we may have stolen something from our parents’ home! They began searching us, despite the fact that our entire visitation had taken place in the presence of the aforementioned two female security officers and they had never left our side. They even asked that we remove our undergarments; a request that was not only vulgar, but against Islamic customs. What is even more disgraceful is that their behavior and requests were so desecrating that I cannot bring myself to even describe them.

How did the altercations begin? After we refused to comply with their request, this female officer insulted us and began a physical altercation. I tried to stop her by holding her hand and she responded by slapping me and my sister across the face. At that point we entered a physical altercation. When I held my hand up to stop her, she grabbed it and proceeded to bite my arm violently. I was surprised by her physical strength. It almost felt as though she had been trained for this type of thing. My arm was bleeding, it was scrapped and began to swell. She was also kind enough to leave her fingerprints on both my face and my sister’s!

Were your parents witnessing these events? Unfortunately they were. My mom came to the building that belongs to the Intelligence Ministry next door to their house. They had closed the door to the yard and my mother was out there saying goodbye to us when the events occurred. During the entire ordeal, my father could hear the loud noises and the violent altercation that resulted from the brutal behavior of the security officers, from behind the barred windows of their kitchen that is East of the building belonging to the Ministry. He was extremely saddened and it goes without saying that given his heart condition he should not be subjected to such pressure. It was horrible.

Did anyone interfere and try to prevent this unacceptable behavior? My mother and Mr. Foroughi the head of the prison guards arrived. Mother tried to separate us, but the female security officer had become so violent that no one could control her. Mr. Foroughi apologized and said that the security officer in question had no right to act this way. When we stated that she probably took her orders from him, he refuted our statement and insisted that she had never been given permission to conduct a bodily search. We asked Mr. Foroghi why we had been given permission to enter our parents’ home only to be subjected to such a humiliating form of bodily search. Was this to be our gift on the occasion of Eyde Ghadir?

Did you know the female security officer in question? Yes we knew her. It was not the first time she had behaved in such an unacceptable manner. One of the female security officers had treated my father in such a dishonorable manner, affronting and accosting father while he was hospitalized last year, to the point that he was almost taken to his death bed. My father was sick and connected to an IV tube. If they had wanted to avoid further turmoil, they would have removed her from her post back then. Not only was she not removed, but instead she was given carte blanche do do as she pleases and treat the children of a political prisoner in such a disgraceful manner. You see, my father is not just an ordinary prisoner. He is a political prisoner. He was once the Prime Minister of our country. Should they have a right to affront and abuse him this way?

Why do you suppose they allowed you and your sisters to visit with your parents only to turn around and treat you this way? What is the meaning behind such behavior? I am not sure what is going on behind closed doors. The truth is to this day not one entities within the ruling establishment has taken responsibility for our parents’ house arrest. Their fate has always been in the hands of the Supreme National Security Council, but in reality no one has been willing to accept any responsibility. I personally believe that there several factions at play. One faction is more extreme. Their goal is to wreak havoc and they have no interest in a more relaxed and improved political climate. There is also talk of a faction that seeks to calm the political climate by silencing us. We don’t want such a thing. We demand our parents’ unconditional release. We demand that they be held responsible for this illegal 1000 day house arrest. Taking us to see our parents after 1000 days of house arrest is not sufficient. In my opinion they must apologize for what they have done. They slap us in front of our mother? In front of our detained mother? Why?

[The following is a translation of a status on the facebook page of Narges Mousavi. She has requested that we share the account of what happened to them when they were granted visitation with their parents yesterday on the occasion of Eyde Ghadir. Please share widely.]

Greetings,

What you are about to read is an account of the events that occurred during our visit with our detained parents yesterday on the occasion of Eyde Ghadir:

On Wednesday October 24th, 2013 we were contacted by security agents who informed us that an exception would be made so we could have lunch with our parents. Of course this luncheon was in lieu of releasing them on the occasion of Eyde Ghadir, particularly given that we are now approaching the 1000 day mark of their house arrest.

We were told that we would be allowed to spend a total of 2/12 hours with our parents from 11:30am to 2:00pm. Two female security officers were present during our visit. Their pseudo names are Maryam and Sarah (the legal name of one is Mojgan Nazemi, born in 1983). One of these two women had shamelessly accosted and affronted father during the time he had been hospitalized, despite the fact that our mother has always treated them with a motherly respect, even going as far as gifting them the customary Eydi gift while under house arrest.

When our visitation hours came to an end this particular female security officer requested that we accompany her to a secure building belonging to the Ministry of Intelligence next to our parents’ house on Akhtar street. She wanted to conduct a bodily search ensuring that we had not illegally removed any items from our parents’ home while visiting. Though it was hard to believe at first, the demands of the security officer in question were not only unconventional but also disgusting to say the least. To our utter shock and dismay she even repeatedly insisted that we remove our under garments. Her behavior and the manner in which she treated us was anything but what is customary in Islamic tradition.

After refusing to remove our clothes, she attacked us, slapping both myself and my sister Zahra across the face. When I tried to stop her from hitting us she became even more violent, brutally biting my wrists. She repeatedly attacked us and when we finally called out for the head of the prison guards Mr. Foroughi, he of course apologized, but neither felt the need to explain the reason behind such a brutal and inhumane behavior.

During the entire time we were being attacked, my father was standing behind the iron bars of their kitchen that is to the East of the building belonging to the Ministry of Intelligence and he could hear the loud voices and noise arising from the brutal behavior of the security officers. Unfortunately my mother also witnessed their violent behavior.

I have a number of pictures that tell the story of this unfortunate and inhumane incident, including pictures of the head of the prison guards which will be made public if necessary.

Wednesday October 23rd, 2013 [Kaleme] – Mir Hossein Mousavi was taken to Nour Medical Center for an MRI and a routine checkup and returned to house arrest at Akhtar Street upon completion of the necessary tests.

Mousavi, now under house arrest for approximately 1000 days, was hospitalized for a period of 10 days at Sina Hospital earlier this year during the month of Ramadan as a result of concerns arising from heart complications and other internal ailments. At the time, Mousavi’s hospitalization was conditional upon his family refraining from informing the public about his medical condition. Following completion of the necessary medical tests and confirmation by the hospital physicians of Mousavi’s health and recovery, he and his wife Zahra Rahnavard were once again returned to house arrest.

Mousavi’s physicians have requested that he receive medical checkups on a regular basis. The first of such checkups took place yesterday when Mousavi was taken to visit his trusted physicians accompanied by security agents. Kalame reports that Mousavi is in good health.